Breakable connection for hydrants



y 1939- J. s. KIESEL BREAKABLE CONNECTION FOR HYDRANTS Filed March 11,1938 INVENTOR N fi W ATTORNEY Patented July 18, 1939 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE John S. Kiesel, Williamsport, Pa., assignor to DarlingValve and Manufacturing Company,

Williamsport, Pa.

Application March 11,

7 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in fire and similar hydrants. fnecessity fire hydrants are often located in places wherein they arelikely to be collided with by vehicles of various sorts.

It is probably the universal custom for fire hydrants to be situatedalong the curbing of city streets. Inasmuch as they project upward fromthe ground line or pavement surface several feet, it becomes an easymatter for a driver to back or run into them, not always throughcarelessness, but more often by reason of not being able to see theobstruction from his position on the drivers seat.

Remedies have been offered and are in use for lessening the damage whichis caused by such a collision. The attempts made toward the latter endseek to localize the fracture, in other words, to make the fractureoccur at a place where it will cause the least trouble and expense toeffect the necessary repairs and replacements. But even though theseimprovements are valuable, it is a fact that their use involves machinework and parts, the cost of which is no inconsiderable item in hydrantmanufacture and installation. With this situation in mind the objects ofthe invention are as follows:

First, to provide a breakable connection which is structurally reducedto virtually the utmost in simplicity, said term connection beingcollectively applied to both the means which joins the hydrant barreland which joins the operating rod.

Second, to construct this connection, comprising the means for bothjoining the barrel and operating rod, from cast iron, each of the meansbeing medially weakened so as to augment the frangible nature of thecast iron, and insuring the localization of the break in the event of acollision with the hydrant.

Third, to make the hydrant barrel connecting means in the form of asegmental clamp ring, the tightening of the segments setting up a wedgeaction which draws the two components of the hydrant into tightengagement because of certain mutual wedge formations and interactions.

Fourth, to provide a clamp ring which is composed of medially frangiblesections, said sections being capable of assemblage into ring form andbeing clamped in position upon the hydrant after the lower and uppersections have been brought together in abutting relationship.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification,reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which:

1938, Serial No. 195,388

Figure 1 is a plan view of the improved breakable connection,illustrating it in place upon the hydrant barrel and the operating rod.

Figure 2 is a vertical section taken substantially on the line 22 ofFig. 1.

Figure 3 is an inside elevation of one of the: clamp ring segments.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the connecting means of the operatingrod.

Attention is directed to the drawing. The 10] particular adaption of theinvention brought out herein is to a fire hydrant which is generallydesignated I. This is not necessarily a fire hydrant because it might bea hydrant for some other purpose. It is also readily conceivable thatthe principle of the invention can be embodied in the connection of anytubular members which are subject to fracture because of necessarilybeing located in exposed positions. But reverting to the fire hydrantthe barrel of the latter comprises upper and lower sections 2, 3.

The latter has some kind of a distinguishing mark which designates theground line, this because of the fact that the section 3 is largely sunkinto the ground. This designation may comprise an annularly embossedring 4, and in practice will have the words Ground line cast thereon.The operating rod 5 comprises the two sections shown, the obviouspurpose of the operating rod being to open and close the main valve (notshown) at the bottom when a wrench is applied to it at the top.

As already generally indicated, it is the purpose of the invention tojoin the sections of the hydrant barrel and operating rod with abreakable connection. The collective term connection relates to theconnecting means of both the hydrant and operating rod sections,inasmuch as a hydrant is never functionally complete without itsoperating rod, and inasmuch as both the hydrant barrel and operating rodmust be simultaneously protected if the advantages of the invention areto be had at all.

The confronting ends 6, I of the barrel sections 2, 3, have annularflanges 8, 9, which are characterized by being beveled at ID on theirremote surfaces, the bevels being so pitched that they would meet on theapproximate dividing plane between the barrel sections if continued farenough out. This arrangement of the flanges constitutes one element of awedge construction. A ring II is fitted around the barrel at this place.(Fig. 1). This is a segmental ring as shown. Each of the segments isdesignated [2 (Fig. 3) and inasmuch as each of the segments is identicalwith the next, the description of one will suffice for all.

As well shown in Fig. 3 the segment 12 has a deep groove I3. Theconfronting top and bot.- tom walls l4, [5 of this groove are pitched tomatch the bevels 10. In order to insure the fit ting of the segment l2upon the flanges 8, 9, in other words, to avoid any difliculty thatmight be set up by a more or less lack of trueness of the walls l4, I5,the latter are supplemented with bosses 16, the confronting surfaces l1,l8 of which make the actual contacts with the bevels l0. Said surfacesare pitched correspondingly to the Walls l4, l5, and to the bevels I0and thus constitute the second element of the wedge construction.

The segment [2 is medially scored at I9. This scoring is deep enough toleave only a comparatively thin web 20 of connecting metal. But this webis thick enough for all ordinary purposes, and will not break when thecollected segments are clamped together in ring form. There is a lug 2|on the outside of the segment l2 at each end. These lugs have bolt holes22, and they are slitted at 23 in a longitudinal position matching thescore I9.

Now consider the segments 12 in assembled form (Fig. l). The variouslugs 2| are so stationed that adjoining holes 22 will line up for thereception of the bolts 24. When the nuts 25 are screwed home on thethreaded ends of the bolts, the segments of the ring H will be drawntogether, and a clamping action will be set up because of the previouslydescribed Wedge construction. The wedge action draws the confrontingends 6 and 'l of the barrel sections 2, 3, together tightly compressingthe gasket 26 which is conventionally interposed. Should the uppersection 2 be struck with a blow that is heavy enough to break thehydrant, the fracture will occur at the web 20. The slits 23 in the boltlugs permit this fracture. The various broken pieces and the bolts willsimply fall away as the upper section 2 of the hydrant topples over.

It is equal important that the connected sections of the operating rod 5be enabled to give when the foregoing break occurs. To begin with, thesesections are made cross-sectionally noncircular (Fig. 1). A square rodis preferred. This cross-sectional formation insures a continuity of theturning moment when the inner ends of the operating red are socketed inthe connecting cast iron sleeve 2'! (Fig. 4). Pins 28 thrust throughholes which are located at perforated places key the sleeve and rod endstogether.

It is important to note that these holes are so situated that as far asthe bore of the sleeve is concerned, they cut half into the sleeve andhalf into the operating rod ends (Fig. 2). When the pins 28 are drivenin they perform a true key function, the advantage of this arrangementbeing that the rod ends are not weakened as in instances whereinsecuring pins are driven directly through the center.

Said sleeve is medially creased or grooved at 29 on the common dividingplane conveniently designated It will be noted that the slits 23, Web20, crease 29, andthe adjoining ends of the rod sections are eitherdirectly upon this plane or very nearly so.

Now it is readily seen that when the upper section of the hydrant isknocked over as already described, the upper section of the operatingrod 5 is bound to go with it. The sleeve 2? will be broken at the crease29, and no harm will result to any of the mechanism below the plane 30.Since no injury will befall the annular flanges 8, 9 there will be nooccasion for replacing the particular hydrant section 2 in the majorityof instances. The only replacements necessary will be a new sleeve 21and one or two new segments I 2, both being cheap cast ironconstructions.

An outstanding advantage of the segmental clamp ring I! comes from theability to bury the lower hydrant section 3 in the desired location andthen to superimpose the upper section 2 with the flanges 8, 9 in theirultimate abutting relationship, without having to be concerned in theleast about the application of said clamp ring. The sections of thelatter are last assembled around the abutting flanges 8, 9 and when thevarious nuts on the various bolts are screwed home, the resulting wedgeaction will clamp the parts together into a pressure-tight joint.

Before this is done it is desirable, if not necessary, to fit the sleeve27 upon the confronting operating rod ends. These, as has been broughtout before, are cross-sectionally square, the advantage of this beingthat the failure to insert the top cross pin 28 (Fig. 2) will notinterfere with the operation of said rod because the squareconfigurations of the upper rod and of the passage in the sleeve willfulfill the requirement of a driving connection.

I claim:

1. A hydrant comprising base and upper sections having confrontingannular flanges, a clamp ring composed of segments which are grooved toperipherally fit upon said flanges, said segments being medially scoredat the bottoms of the grooves in line with the dividing plane betweenthe flanges so as to provide a thin frangible web, spaced bosses on theconfronting upper and lower walls of the grooves for directmetal-to-metal contact with said flanges, and means with which to drawthe segments together so as to tighten the clamp ring upon the flanges,the spacing of said bosses compensating for any inequality in thesurfaces of the flanges and causing the application of a uniformclamping pressure.

2. A hydrant comprising base and upper sections having confrontingflanges, the remote surfaces of said flanges being beveled in oppositedirections, a clamp ring composed of grooved segments assembled upon theflanges, the confronting top and bottom walls of each groove beingpitched to match the bevels, and the base of each groove being scored toproduce a thin frangible web, means with which to draw the segmentstogether, and matching lugs on the ends of the segments, said lugshaving holes partly containing the latter means and being slittedsubstantially in line with the respective frangible web.

3. A hydrant comprising base and upper sections having confrontingflanges, the remote surfaces of said flanges being oppositely beveled, aclamp ring composed of grooved segments assembled upon the flanges, thetop and bottom confronting walls of each groove having bosses to contactthe flanges and which are pitched to match their bevels, the bottoms ofthe grooves being scored to produce a thin frangible web, bolts and nutswith which to 'draw the segments together upon the flanges, and lugs onthe ends of the segments confronting each other in the assemblage andhaving holes containing the bolts, said lugs being slitted so as toenable the ring segments to fall apart when said web is broken.

4. A ring segment for breakable connections,

said segment being grooved and being provided on its confronting top andbottom walls with contact bosses to localize the pressure upon aconnected element, the bottom of the groove being longitudinally scoredto produce a thin frangible web, the ends of the segment having lugswith bolt holes and being slitted in substantial alinement with saidscore for a complete fracture.

5. A breakable connection comprising a clamp ring composed of pluralsegments adapted to encompass contiguous, gasketed flanges, pluralbosses on each segment, being regularly spaced and bearing on theflanges from above and below to provide plural and symmetricallydistanced pressure points, and means both connecting the segments andsecuring the ring on the flanges, causing the bosses to force theflanges toward each other and compress the gasket in pressure-tightengagement at uniformly'spaced points.

6. A hydrant comprising interconnected and gasketed base and uppersections having confronting annular flanges, the remote surfaces of saidflanges being oppositely beveled, a clamp ring composed of pluralsegments encompassing said flanges, regularly spaced plural bosses oneach segment, bearing on the flanges from above and below and beingpitched to match said bevels, and tightening means for the segmentscausing the bosses to exert a cam action on the flanges to compress thegasket into pressure-tight engagement at uniformly spaced points.

7. A breakable connection comprising a clamp ring composed of groovedsegments adapted to be assembled upon the contiguous flanges of a pairof cylindrical members, contact means on the confronting upper and lowerwalls of each groove to engage said flanges with a spaced-point contact,and means with which to draw the segments together thus to advance thecontact means inwardly upon said flanges, the base of each groove beingscored longitudinally of the respecto produce a thin frangible Web.

JOHN S. KIESEL.

